A farmer who is salt and light
JEFFERSON CITY—Kerry Messer was working in a flour mill when he received the call.
“I mind my own business. I don’t know why the Lord started tapping me on the shoulder,” he said.
A deacon at Tower Grove Baptist Church in St. Louis where Gary Taylor was pastor, Messer had been satisfied with his life.
“The Lord started burdening my heart about the culture and Christians not being involved. I didn’t know what the Lord was saying. I was doing absolutely nothing to attract these thoughts,” he said.
Messer went through a six-month period when he thought the Lord was calling him to evangelism and another six-month period of seeking the Lord before realizing that his ministry was to be one of indirect evangelism. Soon, he would be challenging Christians to apply themselves to good works, particularly in the area of being salt and light in the culture, rather than ignoring it.
In the 22 years since he felt God’s call, Messer has been confronting the culture as a lobbyist for the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) Christian Life Commission and as founder of Missouri Family Network (MFN).
His initial foray into the culture was costly. He was ultimately instrumental in getting the adult bookstore industry closed in the city of St. Louis. In the process, he lost his job and his home.
He has high praise for his wife, Lynn, who has stood by him through difficult times. “By default, we moved into an abandoned farmhouse on my father’s farm. We had no plumbing, no electricity, no flooring. Lynn has made the commitment to do without the things most women have, allow me to travel, and not pressure me or complain about the lack of resources in the home.”
He proudly announced her capabilities as a stay-at-home homemaker and farmer. “She can pull a calf. She can pregnancy test a cow.”
In addition, Lynn home-schooled their two sons, Aaron and Abram, and has been active in church and community affairs. With the children grown, she enjoys being a mentor to other women as well as the proud grandmother of six.
Messer is in Jefferson City Monday through Thursday during the legislative session. He spends his days tracking bills, strategizing with other lobbyists who share the same goals, visiting legislators’ offices, talking with legislators in the side galleries, helping to draft legislation, and testifying at hearings.
In the process, he prays with and for legislators and members of their staff regarding their personal concerns, home issues, and understanding of Scripture about issues they’re dealing with on the floor.
“I strive very diligently to develop and maintain amiable relations with all legislators, regardless of party affiliations and positions on issues. It is rewarding going to legislators who are (the) complete opposite of my worldview and have them sponsor bills and get laws passed when we can find common ground.”
The bigger ministry of Missouri Family Network is one of trying to mesh biblical principles with public policy. Messer cited Matthew 5:13-16 as a key passage for his own calling and for the ministry. Lobbying is the direct expression of that ministry.
MFN’s goals are: 1) to call on Christians to be salt and light in the culture, using biblical principles; and 2) to call on churches to provide leadership, encouragement and resources so their members may effectively engage the world.
Messer said it has been a joy to watch the culture of the Capitol change over the years. “Twenty to 25 years ago, the Capitol culture was quite rough. Liquor flowed freely in the offices and the halls. The language was crude. The whole environment was very unwholesome.
“Today, I can’t tell you how many Bible studies are occurring through the Capitol in any given week…the prayer groups that many attend…the legislators and staff who focus on meeting with accountability partners. There has been a spiritual revival, of sorts, that has been very healthy.”
The 8 a.m. to midnight workdays are exhausting, but help arrived two years ago when Abram Messer felt led to join his father in the ministry. (Aaron Messer is also in Christian ministry, as the bi-vocational pastor of Victoria Baptist Church in Festus.)
The team follows dozens of bills and attends endless hearings. With multiple hearings being conducted at the same time, their close monitoring of activity has enabled Kerry to give testimony at as many as three hearings in a single time slot.
“Out of respect for all Baptists, we very deliberately limit our discussions to issues of very broad common consensus when representing the Christian Life Commission,” Messer said.
“On issues such as gambling and expansion of liquor, there is strong common ground among Baptists. Some issues, such as school vouchers, have a diversity of ideas. We talk with legislators about the fact that those differences exist, but we do try to keep them in perspective.”
Messer tries to find a project every year that is not related to any bills or policies but which might challenge legislators spiritually. One year, it was quality new Bibles for their offices. Another year, it was the national motto, “In God we trust,” framed for each legislator. A few years ago, it was tickets for “The Passion of the Christ,” in conjunction with Concord Baptist Church of Jefferson City. Missouri was the only state in the union to have done that.
Because of his efforts to establish relationships and to operate as salt and light in the Capitol, Messer said it has been rewarding that “we’re not on the outside yelling. We’re inside at the table.
“It’s still up to the individual elected official or staff whether they’re going to be a politician or a statesman,” he said. “My role is to challenge them to be statesmen.”